Ontario Sports Betting
Ontario sports betting is legal and live. There are now 30 licensed online sportsbooks in the province, including BetMGM, Caesars, theScore Bet, BetRivers, FanDuel, DraftKings and Bet365 with more likely to follow.
Top sportsbook apps in Ontario 2023
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Contents
Is sports betting legal in Ontario?
Yes. Bettors may wager through a number of online sportsbooks, most of which have apps as well. Betting is also legal via Ontario Lottery and Gaming’s many in-person outlets and its sports betting app, ProLine+.
There are also 10 casinos in the province that offer in-person sports betting via kiosks and one casino, Caesars Windsor, that hosts Ontario’s only full-service sportsbook so far.
What’s happening in ON sports betting right now
- May 26, 2023 — STX, a tech company offering a real-time sports-betting exchange, was approved for launch in Ontario.
- May 17, 2023 — The Canadian Mental Health Association told Ontario sports betting regulators that operators should not be able to run ads for online gambling.
- May 5, 2023 — Ontario sportsbooks will not be offering Kentucky Derby markets as the rules in Ontario prevent books from taking bets on horse racing. The Kentucky Derby takes place on May 6.
- May 3, 2023 — NorthStar Gaming agreed to purchase Slapshot Media in an effort to boost the operator’s performance in other Canadian provinces as they open for regulated online gaming.
- April 14, 2023 — Caesars Sportsbook is now requiring Ontario bettors to be 21 or older to register for an account and wager on the Caesars Sportsbook app.
- April 13, 2023 — The AGCO is proposing to ban the use of current or retired athletes in advertising for sports betting in Ontario. The AGCO also proposed prohibiting the use of “cartoon figures, symbols, role models, social media influencers, celebrities or entertainers”.
- April 4, 2023 — Ontario celebrates one year of legal online sports betting. The province posted $35.6 billion in total wagers and $1.4 billion in total gaming revenue. These figures land the province among the top 5 igaming jurisdictions in North America.
Comparing sportsbook apps in Ontario
The list of available sportsbooks in Ontario continues to evolve. For years, the only legal option for Ontarians was parlay-style bets on ProLine. However, starting in April 2022, commercial books became able to apply for licenses and offer a full range of bets in the province. Here’s a look at some top Ontario sportsbook apps available now:
1. DraftKings Sportsbook
One of the top sportsbooks in North America, DraftKings combines a sleek app with a menu of standard bets, props and live bets. Additionally, with DraftKings betting pools, friends can compete for prizes.
- App rating: 4.7 (iOS), 4.6 (Android)
- Key takeaway: Fast-moving app that’s great for live betting.
2. BetMGM Sportsbook
One of the largest legal online sportsbooks, BetMGM offers a deeper selection than many of its competitors. It also features an “edit my bet” feature that allows you to adjust open bets on the fly by adding money to an existing bet, adding legs to a parlay, etc.
- App rating: 4.7 (iOS), 4.5 (Android)
- Key takeaway: “Edit my bet” can provide additional flexibility.
3. BetRivers Sportsbook
Quickly gaining attention through an expansive marketing campaign in Ontario, BetRivers has a strong selection of prop bets for most games. The app itself can be a bit clunky, but it offers quick payouts and a good menu of betting options.
- App rating: 4.1 (iOS), 4.3 (Android)
- Key takeaway: The app needs some work, but it pays out winnings quickly.
4. Bet365
An international sportsbook now available in Ontario’s legal market after years in the gray, Bet365 is best known for its selection of live wagers from across the world. The online book will offer some obscure sports that are harder to find in Canada as well as some options to edit bets.
- App rating: 4.6 (iOS), 3.4 (Android)
- Key takeaway: Good list of rare sports and live betting options.
5. Caesars Sportsbook
This easy-to-use app has brand power and recognition backing it through its renowned hotel and casino business. The Caesars Sportsbook app itself is user-friendly with a solid menu of betting options. A few added bells and whistles could take it to the next level.
- App rating: 4.6 (iOS), 4.4 (Android)
- Key takeaway: Simple and effective app gets players back to basics.
Latest Ontario sports betting news
NorthStar Bets Deal Aimed At Gray-Market Fight Past Ontario Sports Betting
As sports betting operators continue battling the entrenched gray market outside Ontario, NorthStar Gaming announced a move last week aimed at helping its performance in other Canadian provinces as they…
How to get started at a sportsbook app in Ontario
If you have never bet on sports online or have only used ProLine+ so far, most major sportsbook apps have similar procedures for new users. Creating an account should take only a few minutes, but be prepared to provide additional documents to verify your identity if necessary. For the most part, here’s what to do:
- Download and install the app
- Register for an account
- Make your first deposit
- Place your first wager
Whenever you decide to make your first deposit, you’ll find several options available. Electronic checks, credit cards, debit cards and PayPal will generally all work to add money to your account, depending on the book.
Ontario sports betting law
Sports betting has been legal in Ontario and Canada for decades, but most of that time it was only available in the form of parlay-style bets via provincial lotteries.
That changed when Canada’s Parliament passed Bill C-218 — the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act — on June 22, 2021, opening the door for provinces to allow single-game sports betting.
Then, in January 2022, Ontario announced that legal sports betting would launch on April 4, 2022. Several companies such as Bet365, 888 and Unibet that had previously operated in Ontario’s gray market made the jump into the white market in order to register with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
Online sportsbooks must pay a $100,000 licensing fee and a tax rate of 20% on sports betting revenue, and they do not have to partner with a brick-and-mortar location. In all, 13 online sportsbooks launched on April 4, 2022, in Ontario.
Legal Canadian sports betting consists mainly of the Ontario market so far, with other provinces offering betting through sites associated with provincial lotteries, as Ontario did with ProLine.
What you can legally bet on in Ontario
Ontario’s sports betting rules are largely permissive so long as “the bet is not reasonably objectionable.” Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario standards apply to “all sports, esports, novelty, betting exchange and fantasy sports products, and includes various bet types such as single-event, in-game, pool, parlay and exchange bets.”
While it’s legal to bet on esports as sporting events, virtual sports count as online casino games under the regulatory guidelines. Note that cryptocurrency is not legal tender for sports bets in Ontario.
Full list of Ontario sports betting sites
We will continue to update this list should more sportsbooks launch in Ontario.
- 888 Sport
- Bally Bet
- Bet365
- Bet99
- Betano
- BetMGM Sportsbook
- BetRivers
- Betsafe
- BetVictor
- Betway
- Bwin
- Caesars Sportsbook
- CanPlay Casino
- DraftKings Sportsbook
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- Fitzdares
- LeoVegas
- Neo.bet
- NorthStar Bets
- Partysports
- Pinnacle
- Play Fallsview
- PointsBet
- PokerStars Sports
- PowerPlay
- Rivalry
- Royal Panda
- Sports Interaction
- TheScore Bet
- Unibet
Legal gambling in Ontario
Ontarians have had some legal gambling options for decades. The addition of commercial online gambling sites is a recent expansion, but there are also plenty of gambling locations and venues in the province. Here are some of the options for Ontario residents:
| Casinos | Ontario is home to 29 casinos, though none are located in the city of Toronto. Some venues offer only slot machines and racetracks while others have slots, table games, bingo, poker and sports betting to varying degrees. |
| Live poker | Poker is available at select casino locations, including Casino Niagara and Caesars Windsor. |
| Lottery | Draw and instant-win games are available through official retailers, and draw games are available via online subscriptions. |
| Online casinos | Slots, table games and live dealer games are available through OLG.ca and many other online casinos such as Caesars and BetRivers. |
| Sports betting | Legal sports betting is available in Ontario through OLG’s ProLine+, licensed online books such as DraftKings and BetMGM, and at 11 retail locations. |
| Horse racing | Ontario is home to 15 live racetracks and several off-track betting locations, each of which offers pari-mutuel wagering on domestic and international races. Ontarians also have options for online horse betting. |
| Bingo | There are dozens of bingo halls in Ontario, and most offer games the majority of weekdays and weekends. |
| Daily fantasy sports | While daily fantasy sports contests are legal in Ontario, it has been essentially shut down in the province since the two largest DFS providers, DraftKings and FanDuel, stopped offering free and paid contests before joining the regulated sports betting/online casino market. |
Where to bet on sports in Ontario
With online sports betting, you can bet anywhere in Ontario where you can find an internet connection within provincial borders. There are 30 licensed online sportsbooks in Ontario, most of which also offer apps for mobile betting. Otherwise, people in Ontario have a few options when it comes to betting on sports.
ProLine and ProLine+
The province’s legacy retail sports betting provider, ProLine, allows bettors to wager at approximately 10,000 locations across the province. You can bet in-store at authorized OLG retailers such as gas stations and convenience stores, or you can create a bet slip on the ProLine website and present the associated code at an OLG retailer. Additionally, the ProLine+ site and app let you bet online and via mobile devices.
Retail sports betting
There are 11 destinations, all at Ontario casinos, that offer some form of in-person sports betting. Great Canadian Entertainment runs 10 of these locations, and the Caesars Sportsbook at Caesars Windsor is the other.
Of the 10 Great Canadian Entertainment sports betting locations, four have dedicated sportsbook lounges called Great Canadian Sportsbooks. Those four lounges contain sports betting kiosks while offering food and bar service and an area to watch games. The other six locations simply have sports betting kiosks within the casino.
Caesars Sportsbook at Caesars Windsor is the only full-service sportsbook in Ontario, although additional options could open, as well.
Full-service sportsbook:
- Caesars Windsor, 377 Riverside Drive E, Windsor
Sportsbook lounges:
- Pickering Casino Resort, 888 Durham Live Ave., Pickering
- Great Blue Heron Casino Resort, 21777 Island Road, Port Perry
- Elements Casino Brantford, 40 Icomm Drive, Brantford
- Shorelines Casino Belleville, 380 Bell Blvd., Belleville
Sportsbook kiosks:
- Casino Woodbine, 555 Rexdale Blvd., Etobicoke
- Elements Casino Mohawk, 9430 Guelph Line, Milton
- Elements Casino Grand River, 7445 Wellington County Road 21, Elora
- Elements Casino Flamboro, 967 Highway 5, Hamilton
- Shorelines Casino Peterborough, 3800 Fisher Drive, Peterborough
- Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands, 380 Highway 2, Gananoque
Ontario vs. Pennsylvania and Michigan sports betting
Ontario is clearly the crown jewel for sportsbooks seeking to launch in Canada. The province is the country’s largest by population, with an estimated 14.8 million residents.
That would make it the fifth-most-populous US state, ranking above Pennsylvania’s 13 million residents. Only California, Texas, Florida and New York have higher populations.
Pennsylvania sports betting ranks third in handle ($18 billion) and revenue ($1.4 billion) behind New Jersey and Nevada if you measure from the fall of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in May 2018 until the end of 2022, but of course that’s giving it a head start on many states.
Ontario also shares a border with Michigan. Legal online sports betting in Michigan launched in January 2021, and with Detroit close to Toronto, it likely caught the province’s attention.
Pennsylvania and Michigan represent a study in contrasts about the way that regulators approach fees and taxation. Michigan set its license fee at $100,000, and it taxes sports betting at 8.4% (with an additional 1.25% for Detroit). Each Michigan sportsbook also has to pay $50,000 to the state each year. Pennsylvania, on the other hand, requires applicants to pay a $10 million fee and 36% of their revenue as taxes. However, the fee is a one-time charge; there’s no annual fee.
Ontario, for its part, has landed between those two approaches. Sportsbooks must pay $100,000 annually as a regulatory fee, which is more in line with Michigan’s approach. However, Ontario charges a 20% tax rate, which is much higher than what Michigan books have to pay, though still less than in Pennsylvania.
Popular sports to bet on in Ontario
Ontario is home to five pro teams representing the most popular team sports in North America. These five all garner a good deal of betting interest.
It’s no secret that Ontario and all of Canada is crazy about hockey. The two NHL teams located in Ontario are among the most popular teams to bet on and root for in the province. The Toronto Maple Leafs in particular have a large fan base in the province, while the Ottawa Senators have a loyal, if smaller, following.
The Toronto Raptors and Toronto Blue Jays also draw a lot of interest representing Ontario and Canada in the NBA and MLB, respectively, while Toronto FC is the province’s main outlet for pro soccer fans.
NFL and CFL betting
While Ontario does not have an NFL team, the nearby Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions are popular in the province, as are various other NFL teams to a lesser extent.
As for the Canadian Football League, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are known for their legion of diehards, while the other teams in the province — the Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Redblacks — pale in comparison. The CFL is generally more popular through Alberta sports betting options and throughout the Canadian West.
Ontario sports betting timeline
2023: By the one-year anniversary of the launch of legal sports betting in Ontario, the province had 30 legal online sportsbooks. The province pulled in $35.6 billion in total wagers and $1.4 billion in total gaming revenue in the first year.
Ontario’s first full-service retail sportsbook, the Caesars Sportsbook at Caesars Windsor, opened officially to the public. The Caesars Windsor is the largest casino resort in Canada.
2022: At the end of January, iGaming Ontario announces that it anticipates a launch of online sports betting on April 4. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario approves online sportsbooks for eventual launch throughout early 2022.
As planned, Ontario becomes the first province in Canada to open its borders to commercial sportsbooks. The April 4 launch date includes BetMGM and Caesars, with an expectation for more than two dozen online books in the province.
By the end of 2022, 27 sports betting sites had launched in Ontario.
2021: C-218 — the single-game sports betting bill — clears Parliament. The bill receives full House approval in April, and it passes the Senate in June 2021. Individual provinces handle their own regulations, with an effective date of Aug. 27. At that point, many provincial lotteries begin to offer betting.
Ontario moves forward with draft regulations for an open market, with books like PointsBet, BetRivers and DraftKings gearing up for launch.
2020: Private member Kevin Waugh introduces C-218 in February, but there is little action in 2020. The bill doesn’t get its second reading until nearly a year later in February 2021.
One notable development in 2020 came in June when multiple professional leagues jointly issued their support of single-game betting in Canada.
2016: The decade’s second attempt to legalize single-game sports betting in Canada fails.
2012: An attempt to legalize single-game sports betting in Canada passes the House, but it goes no further. The Senate fails to act on the legislation for years.
2011: This year sees the introduction of an attempt to end the federal ban on single-game sports betting in Canada that would continue in 2012.
1992: ProLine officially launches in Ontario in October.
Ontario sports betting FAQ
Who can bet on sports in Ontario?
You need to be 19 or older and inside provincial borders to bet on sports online in Ontario (21+ with Caesars Sportsbook).
Sportsbooks will check where you are through geolocation. The software will require you to verify your location through your device’s GPS or through a program that you download to your phone or computer. You won’t be able to bet otherwise.
Am I able to use my phone to bet in Ontario?
Yes. Your phone will work for sports betting anywhere you can connect to the internet. Most sportsbooks offer a downloadable app.
Who oversees Ontario sports betting?
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is the regulator for Ontario sports betting along with its subsidiary: iGaming Ontario.
Where can I place a bet in Ontario?
Mobile betting is available anywhere within the physical borders of Ontario. Note that you must enable geolocation on your device to verify you are in a legal location. You can wager online via more than two dozen sportsbook sites and in person through lottery retailers, at one retail sportsbook so far, or at kiosks in select casinos.
Can I play daily fantasy sports contests in Ontario?
While daily fantasy sports contests are legal in Ontario, it is not easy to join one, as top companies like DraftKings and FanDuel ended operations there ahead of the online sports betting launch in 2022.
Ontario sports betting regulations don’t allow shared liquidity with any other jurisdictions, so DFS contests need to be geo-fenced within Ontario. That rule essentially made it impossible for people in the province to participate, so the two major platforms shut down.